'Everybody's smiling as we're playing': The Devlins on loss, new beginnings and performance
The Irish Mirror chatted with Peter Devlin of The Devlins about becoming parents, loosing parents and capturing the power of live performance on their newest album, All The Days
The Devlins have captured the essence and power of 'live performance' in their newest record, All The Days, an album brimming with intricate songwriting, masterfully woven into the acclaimed rocker’s atmospheric sound.
The 11-track album marks The Devlins’ first full-length project almost a decade after their critically praised album, Waves.
The record delves into themes of resilience and navigating human connections, with tracks reflecting on the passage of time. Bassist Peter Devlin says much of the emotional depth comes from their shared experiences during the pandemic.
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“Becoming parents, both Colin, myself, and also Guy, and then losing parents,” Peter told the Irish Mirror, discussing the experiences that shaped the record.
“During that whole lockdown time, Colin and myself lost our mum and dad, and Mark lost his mum as well, she died around the same time and our parents were great friends. They used to hang out together, get around the piano and have the craic.
“When you have that time to stop and sort of just think about all the things that are happening in the stillness of the lockdown, not travelling, not going to work, not being in the normal routine, I suppose that does give you that time and space to reflect on it.
“I think it definitely influenced that whole mood of the record and a lot of Collin’s lyrics on this.”
All The Days brings together the classic lineup of brothers Colin (vocals, guitar, piano) and Peter Devlin (bass), along with drummer Guy Rickarby and guitarist Mark Murphy, under the direction of producer Rob Kirwan, who has worked with the likes of Hozier, PJ Harvey, and Depeche Mode.
On the new record, the Waiting songwriters set out to capture the energy and authenticity of live performance, something Peter believes is irreplaceable.
“There's nothing really that beats the live performance,” Peter shared. “With that, you get imperfections that you don't get when everything is programmed and sequenced and so mechanical and digital.
“It was very important that we capture the performance. Even when we got into the room to start playing these new songs for the first time, and everybody's smiling as we're playing, we're getting back into it.
“Then when you do a few different takes, the recording light is on, you're playing it, recording. Then when you finish playing a song, and you look around and everybody smiles, that's the one, that's the take, it's a great feeling.
“I don't think anything can beat that. People talk about AI producing music, replicating and replacing musicians. I disagree, because you'll never get those imperfections”.
“It's a lot of fun because we all get on so well, and we really enjoy playing together,” Peter added.
“It's exciting making a new record because we've made a few albums at this stage, and done a lot of shows and it's just exciting putting something together that's going to be around forever.”
- The Devlins’ latest record, All The Days, is out now on all streaming platforms. You can catch the World Outside songwriters performing their new album in Whelan’s on October 24. Tickets cost €21.50 and are available here.
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